By Adity Kamath
Andrew Cuomo has been all over the news recently. He is currently facing allegations of a Covid-19 cover-up, bullying, and harassment. Before we get into the details of these claims, it is important to know who Cuomo is. Andrew Cuomo has been the Governor of New York for a decade now, and he is part of the Democratic Party. During the early days of the pandemic, he received many praises for his managerial approaches to the health crisis, and for telling the people the harsh truth about Covid-19; Cuomo even released a book in October called American Crisis: Leadership Lessons from the COVID-19 Pandemic. Now, however, he is under scrutiny from his party for the way he handled the crisis. One can imagine how much controversy was stirred up by these allegations against Cuomo.
It all started when Lindsey Boylan, Cuomo’s former aide accused the governor of sexual harassment and kissing her against her will. Around the same time, Cuomo faced a brutal report from his own party’s state attorney general, Letitia James, stating that the state had undercounted nursing home deaths from the virus. After a month, two more women, Charlotte Bennett and Anna Ruch spoke up against Cuomo and accused him of sexual harassment and inappropriate behavior. Andrew Cuomo denied all of the accusations.
Letitia James has ordered a former prosecutor and employment lawyer to investigate the allegations. Cuomo is also facing bipartisan calls for an investigation and his limitations on his executive powers after his administration was accused of delaying the release of data on COVID-19 nursing home deaths because of concerns of a potential investigation by the Trump administration. There has been an ongoing dispute between Andrew Cuomo and former president, Donald Trump. Being from opposite parties, the clashing of heads was inevitable, especially in these times. People praised and supported Cuomo because of his honest, realistic approach to the pandemic which contrasted to Trump’s policy of denial, grand lies about the condition of America, and childish Twitter meltdowns. Sources say that Cuomo’s notable administration was all an attempt to cover up the sexual misconduct, COVID-19 deaths, and years of mismanagement.
Andrew Cuomo is now under pressure to resign from both sides of the aisle as more evidence is being discovered. A call from one of Cuomo’s aides regarding the nursing home deaths has been leaked, adding to the pile of evidence against him. More women and aides are starting to speak up and talk about their experiences with Cuomo, and the harassment they endured. Just a couple of months ago, people were singing his praises, but now the accusations and critiques are endless. It doesn’t look like this issue will be going away anytime soon.
Sources:
https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2020/10/19/andrew-cuomo-the-king-of-new-york
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/12/nyregion/new-york-nursing-homes-cuomo.html
https://www.cnn.com/2021/02/15/politics/andrew-cuomo-covid-19-controversy-explained/index.html
https://www.cnn.com/2021/03/14/opinions/cuomo-sexual-harassment-alaimo/index.html
https://www.cnn.com/2021/02/15/politics/andrew-cuomo-covid-19-controversy-explained/index.html
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